Import & Export of Asian Arowana or Dragon fish (Scleropages formosus)

Introduction

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is an international agreement to ensure that trade does not threaten wildlife species with extinction.

The Asian Arowana (Scleropages formosus), or dragon fish as it is commonly known, is a protected species under CITES. Hence, any import or export/re-export of Asian Arowanas require CITES permits and for commercial trade, the importer or exporter must be licensed under the licence to import or export ornamental fish.

Only tagged captive-bred Asian arowana (Scleropages formosus) from CITES-registered operations are allowed to be imported, exported or re-exported.

Licensing conditions for import and export of Asian arowana in Singapore 

1.     Licensee is permitted to only import and export/re-export Asian arowana from CITES-registered captive-breeding operations.

2.     For export, every Asian arowana must be implanted with one microchip at the dorsal muscle before CITES permit application and according to the conditions of the AVA’s Dragon Fish Farm Registration Scheme.

3.     For export in which the Asian arowana have been pre-packed for inspection, there must be only one Asian arowana in each packing bag. The packing bags must be clear or allow easy viewing by AVA inspectors. Consignments that do not meet the conditions will not be inspected and not allowed for export.

4.     For import, there shall only be one Asian arowana in each packing bag. The packing bags must be clear or allow easy viewing by AVA inspectors.

5.     Styrofoam boxes used to contain Asian arowana for export must be placed in paper carton boxes for sealing by the AVA. Consignments that do not meet AVA’s requirements will not be allowed to be exported/re-exported.

6.     For import and export of Asian arowana, the fish must arrive or depart through Changi Airfreight Centre with inspection at CAPQ, unless approval has been sought for entry/exit through other port of entry/exit.

7.     All consignments of Asian arowana to be exported must be inspected and sealed by the AVA prior to departure from Singapore

 

For further details on conditions of licence to import or export ornamental fish, please click here.

 

Documentations

  

1. All import or export/re-export of Asian Arowana require CITES permits from BOTH importing and exporting countries prior to the shipment. For e.g., for import of Asian arowana from Indonesia, your company must first obtain a CITES export permit from the exporting country, ie. Indonesia, and subsequently, to apply for a CITES import permit from the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) before commencing shipment.

2. Similarly for export, you are to apply for a CITES export/re-export permit from the AVA, and thereafter to separately apply for a CITES import permit from the destination country using the Singapore CITES export/re-export permit to facilitate the application.

3. The above documents are in addition, to the requirements for the importer/exporter to be licensed by the AVA, and applying an import or export permit (also known as cargo clearance permit CCP) through TradeNet system for every consignment. Asian arowana that are personal effects (i.e. pets not intended for sale) need not declare in TradeNet; owners need only to obtain the CITES permits, and this is allowed for only one piece of fish.

4. For further details and application of CITES permits, please click here.

 

Other Conditions

1. The import and export of every Asian Arowana consignment required inspection to be conducted by the AVA.

2. The pre-export inspection is conducted at either exporter's premises or the Changi Animal and Plant Quarantine Station (CAPQ) inside the Changi Airfreight Cargo Centre or the inspection bay at our office in Sembawang Research Station. The inspection is chargeable (include traveling time) at $38/hr during office hours and $80/hr outside office hours or urgent basis.

3. For import inspection, it is conducted at the Changi Animal and Plant Quarantine Station (CAPQ) inside the Changi Airfreight Cargo Centre immediately after cargo retrieval and there are no inspection fees.

4. With effect from 1 June 2010, all booking requests for dragon fish import and export inspections are to be submitted online via the e-services. For booking of inspection, please click here. You will need the following information which will take you about 10mins to fill in the form:

1. Contact details
2. CITES permit no. issued by AVA
3. Quantity of fish (pieces)
4. Country of Origin/Destination
5. Premise code (contact our office if you do not have this)
6. Shipment date & time
7. Flight no.
8. Date and time of inspection

As this e-services function comes with a security feature that allows you to apply for AVA services electronically with confidentiality and security, you would first need to register your company to obtain a company account. Registration can be done by clicking on the "New Account? Click here" tab. You will be notified of the username and password once the application for your company account has been approved. This username and password also allows you to access the Maintain Company Account function on the same page to assign access rights to your selected staff. Authorised users may also login to e-Services using their SingPass accounts.

Terms and conditions for booking of inspection 

a.     Inspection times that fall outside office hours will be charged non-office hourly rate. (Office hours: Mon to Fri – 8.30 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. and 2.00 p.m. to 5.30 p.m.)

b.    Application received on day of inspection will be considered urgent application and non-office hourly rate will apply.

c.     All import inspections are conducted at Changi Animal & Plant Quarantine station (CAPQ) at Changi Airfreight Centre unless specified by AVA.

Our contact

Ornamental Fish Section
Import & Export Regulation Division
Quarantine & Inspection Department
Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority

Sembawang Research Station
Lorong Chencharu
Singapore 769194
Tel: 6751 9804
Fax: 6759 5042/43

Operating Hours:

Mon - Fri   :  8.30am – 1.00pm
                   2.00pm – 5.30pm

Sat, Sun and Public Holidays: Closed

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